Lamont considering bid for governor, forms committee

Published
7:00 pm EST, Tuesday, November 3, 2009

HARTFORD

By STEPHANIE REITZ

Associated Press

Ned Lamont, the Greenwich businessman who battled U.S. Sen. Joe Lieberman in the 2006 election after beating him in the Democratic primary, announced Wednesday he is exploring a run for Connecticut governor.

Lamont, 55, was a political unknown when he put $16 million of his own money into the race to unseat Lieberman with the help of fellow Democrats who shared Lamont's opposition to the Iraq war. Lieberman later won re-election to his Senate seat as an independent.

Lamont told supporters Wednesday in an e-mail and on his Web page that he is considering a run for governor after hearing from residents that Connecticut "is not living up to its potential and too many of our families are still being left behind."

He said he will decide in early 2010 whether to formally declare his candidacy.

Without mentioning Republican Gov. M. Jodi Rell by name, he said the state's chief executive "is simply not getting the job done."

Lamont said after that defeat that he had no plans to run for public office again, though he added at the time, "I never rule anything in or out." He later went on to become co-chairman of Barack Obama's presidential campaign in Connecticut.

Lamont, who founded a cable television company, said Wednesday that his background as an entrepreneur and employer would be helpful in Connecticut as its leaders struggle to retain jobs and businesses.